Suleiman Antoine Frangieh ( ar, سليمان بك فرنجية; born 18 October 1965) is a Lebanese politician. He is the incumbent leader of the
Marada Movement and a former Member of Parliament for the
Maronite seat of Zgharta-Zawyie, in
North Lebanon
North Lebanon (Arabic: شمال لبنان) is the northern region of Lebanon comprising the North Governorate and Akkar Governorate. On 16 July 2003, the two entities were divided from the same province by former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri which ...
.
Early life
Suleiman was born in
Zgharta,
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
on 18 October 1965 to a political family who claim to be the decedents of the
Mardaits. He is the son of the late
Tony Frangieh, who was assassinated in
the Ehden massacre in 1978, and grandson of the former Lebanese President
Suleiman Frangieh and as such, carries his grandfather's name.
Samir Frangieh was Suleiman's cousin once removed.
Suleiman Frangieh's grandfather brought him to
Syria after the Ehden massacre, which was perpetrated by rival Maronite
Kataeb Party militia forces. In Syria, Suleiman was taken under the wing of
Bassel Assad, eldest son of the Syrian President. His friendship with the
Al Assad family
AL, Al, Ål or al may stand for:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Al (''Aladdin'') or Aladdin, the main character in Disney's ''Aladdin'' media
* Al (''EastEnders''), a minor character in the British soap opera
* Al (''Fullmetal ...
has remained close since then.
Political career
Suleiman Frangieh's military career began when he was 17 years old. In 1982, he became leader of the
Marada Brigades. The militia later disbanded to become a political group following the
Taif Agreement.
Marada began to participate in social, cultural, educational, health and political affairs.
He was appointed to Parliament for the first time on 7 June 1991 to fill his late father's seat and was then the youngest MP. He was subsequently elected for three successive terms in 1992, 1996 and 2000. In the 1996
Rafic Hariri cabinet Frangieh served as Minister of Health.
Suleiman Frangieh joined mourners gathered in front of Beirut's city palace to pay his final respects to
Rafic Hariri who was killed by a bomb on 14 February 2005. His presence made many uneasy, since it was his ministry that was overseeing the investigation into Hariri's assassination.
During the Lebanese Parliamentary Elections of 7 June 2009, Suleiman Frangieh was elected as a Member of Parliament for the seat of Zgharta-Zawyieh after he had lost that seat in the 2005 elections. He won the seat along with his two running partners Estephan Douwaihi and
Salim Bey Karam. Together, these three politicians, along with the addition of MP Emile Rahme, formed the 'Free and Unified Lebanon' bloc in the Lebanese Parliament.
In August 2012, Frangieh commented on the
Syrian civil war stating that the pro-Assad coalition would win the war and gave his full support to the Syrian government. Frangieh also added that he opposes the "negative neutrality" which is "pretending to be neutral while arms are smuggled from Lebanon to Syria". He called the "negative neutrality" a "conspiring against Syria".
Frangieh was one of the main contenders for the Lebanese presidential elections of 2004 (which did not occur) and 2016 and is a very likely candidate for the next presidential election expected to occur in 2022.
In addition, the party runs a website calle
elmarada.orgwhich follows local and international news and keeps the audience updated 24/7.
He did not run for re-election in the
2018 and
2022 General elections. His son,
Tony, succeeded him in the Parliament.
Personal life
Suleiman is the father of two children from a first marriage with Marianne Sarkis; Tony (born 1987), who was elected to parliament in 2018 to replace his father, and Bassel (born 1992). Suleiman Frangieh has been married to
Rima Karkafi
Rima, also known as Rima the Jungle Girl, is the fictional heroine of W. H. Hudson's 1904 novel '' Green Mansions: A Romance of the Tropical Forest''. In it, Rima, a primitive girl of the shrinking rain forest of South America, meets Abel, a pol ...
since 2003 who gave birth to his daughter Vera (born 2007). He resides in
Bnachii, a small town right next to his hometown of
Zgharta. He is a close friend of Syrian President
Bashar al-Assad.
References
External links
Sleiman Frangieh Jr. on Ehden Family Tree Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frangieh, Suleiman Jr.
Living people
1965 births
Members of the Parliament of Lebanon
Government ministers of Lebanon
Marada Movement politicians
Lebanese Maronites
Suleiman Jr.
People from Zgharta
Candidates for President of Lebanon
Children of national leaders of Lebanon